Ask Just For Today

[Darth Arcanos]

It was almost midnight in Korriban, the air cool as a fresh breeze roiled through the dunes and desert. Taking down all the scaffolding from the wedding celebrations took weeks after the event was over. The entire month had been grueling and exhausting, but Azar was glad it was over. He had many fantasies about his marriages. He always had his clothing planned out, he had his themes picked out and everything in between. None of them applied to his actual weddings. He wore the fineries passed down from the Kressh family, not the attire he would have worn for Vossari or Trael.

He had seen Vossari every night leading up to the wedding events. Azar wasn’t surprised Vossari didn’t attend, but the month being apart was agonizing. He fell into his kingly duties, putting himself on autopilot and routine. No one would suspect how badly he was hurting. No one knew he pretended to be living exactly the life he always envisioned. No one knew he had to act like he still wasn’t in love with Trael Osso. No one knew he still had to act like it didn’t tear him up inside that he never proposed to the man he actually wanted to spend his life with.

A King fought many battles. More than half were in his mind.

As the midnight breezed roiled through the air, Vossari would be stopped on his approach to the side entrance of the palace by a Pureblood guard.

“The King not available,” The man said gruffly in broken Basic, “Go back.”

Meanwhile, as Azar was descending down some steps, he was flanked by an advisor that buzzed around him like a mosquito, “Your majesty this is most irregular and inappropriate,” The Kissai advisor said in rapid ur-kittat, “You mustn’t carry on seeing anyone outside of your wedded wives. Your focus must be to produce royal children! Concubines-”

“He is not a concubine and will never be one,” Azar hissed, his eyes glinting with rage. The Kissai briefly looked frightened before continuing.

“The royal families will talk,” He continued, “Things are already volatile with your marriage to Kurvast, if we add in an affair with a…a..”

Azar stopped in his tracks, looking at the advisor, “A what?” He asked calmly, “Be very careful how you answer.”

The man’s mouth opened and closed a few times.

“You are dismissed, Sarkarsh,” He said icily, “And take your little pups with you,” He said as his gaze flicked to the guard in the distance that was still making up lies about the King being gone to Vossari.

Once everyone left, Azar looked at Vossari standing at the bottom of the steps. It had been a month, but it felt like a century. Were they different men now? The Pureblood stared at the Sith Master, considering all the plans and fantasies he had with Vossari. He thought of their entire journey together, all the ways Azar closed doors. And yet Vossari remained there, unwavering and stronger than Azar himself in many ways. When did he change from the turbulent and violent ocean waves to the unmoving calm that wouldn’t yield to the elements?

It felt as if a thousand years had passed. Azar was married - he had two wives, he was bound to his duties as a King and husband both to rule and to produce heirs. Where he once imagined Vossari on his arm as his King, now they were to meet in secret. Azar detested the thought. He hated this being deemed an affair, a dirty little tryst. Not when he was in love. Not when this was the man Azar truly wanted to marry. And yet Azar was too devastated to consider anything else, not when his choices had led to nothing but ruin. If this was the only way to keep Vossari in his life, he would take it.

Azar didn’t even realize when he descended down the steps, but before long he wordlessly pushed Vossari into the column behind him, meeting his lips in a desperate kiss. Emotions he held back for weeks poured freely and he sank into those forbidden arms. Into those scandalous arms. Into the place that could wreck his honor. But he didn’t care at that moment, because he was sinking deep into an ocean of love and desire with the Wrean that remained the King of his heart.


@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari's father had warned him about returning here. He didn't want to see his son's heart broken again. But Vossari was insistent, and Bakar, having been absent so long from his son's life, had no place to intervene into this struggle. Papa Khaldun relented, agreeing to abide by his son's decisions no matter what.

Vossari did not return to Korriban as Azar's partner. Their cherished openness was now crushed, forced into the shadows. That seemed to be where Vossari lived, he realized. Second place, in unknown and unnamed competitions. Once, it was to Karys - Azar's first husband and love. Now, it was to these wives - representations of Azar's duties as a king. He was losing to Azar's duties, his fears, and his lack of hope. All Vossari could do was hope - he hoped and longed for those moments that only the two of them could share.

In the month apart, Vossari's style grew distinctively Wrean. A long, silk kimono graced his form. His stance carried confidence that his heart did not, as he spent days and nights on Wrea and across the galaxy's oceans practicing his political demeanor in between his research. His chest practically puffed out. When he finally saw Azar, he had been practicing what to say for a month. He saw the sideways glances the Kissai gave him first, the sympathetic gazes of some of Azar's attendants that had grown fond of the Wrean. In an effort to remain dutiful - for he would show Azar his loyalty to their great task - Vossari dropped to a knee. His eyes shot down. "Your Grace." When he rose again, he began to speak as Azar descended the stairs. "Dromuund Kaas and Saleucami have pledged loyalty to Korriban. Tund will soon be yours, too. What-" The words were taken from his mouth with their embrace. He gave in, then, to his longing. Azar would feel the pain that Vossari felt from nights spent alone, the passion of their reunification. The merger of pain and pleasure had long been the dialectic of their relationship, the push and pull like the tides guiding them through life together. Now, heartbreak and love commingled, leading to bitter, salty, intense, unique connection.

He could taste the Queens' lips on Azar. Or, at least, Vossari imagined he could, as he frantically kissed his lover. He couldn't stop picturing it - the wedding, the celebration, the family that Azar was building without him. Voss was a Sith Master, now. Azar's rank, once, when they first fell in love; Azar's rank when he became the King of Korriban. Sith Master was not a cursed rank - it was a decisive one. How could Voss decide what came next?

When Vossari separated, their bands to ice clinked together, creating a chime that resonated across the grand hall. "I've missed you." More than words could describe.

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar had no words to exchange, no reflection to make aloud, no discussions on conquests or territorial expansions. He could only focus on Vossari and his every touch. Everything was a blur of motions, everything happening before his mind could process it fully. He was away from the courtyard and in a private chamber that was adjacent from the main palace residential quarters. These apartments had been built to host diplomats and delegates from all across the galaxy, the buildings lavish and ornate to boast the best that Murzana had to offer.

But for now, it offered a place that felt a million miles away from Azar’s duties as King and his life with his wives. For now, he could sink into the sheets and love Vossari where no one could judge or walk in on them. Where he could act on the desires and urges that had been locked away for over a month, where he could make love for the first time since then instead of performing his loveless marital duties.

By the end of it, he was left sweaty, catching his breath and lying next to someone he loved so much that it hurt every fiber of his being. Azar gazed up at the ceiling, despising just how fulfilled and happy he felt from a moment of passion with Vossari compared to what he had waiting for him with a lifetime with his wives.

His chest rose and fell, his golden gaze glinting with a wide range of emotions. Azar rolled over and grasped Vossari by the throat, addressing him breathily as he gazed down at his lover. That icy chill from the ring would almost sting the Wrean’s hot, sweaty skin, “Fuck you for this,” He half growled, “Fuck you, Vossari,” He exhaled, “Fuck you. Fuck you for all these planetary conquests. Fuck you for not being some ingrate that just quietly fades into obscurity,” He said as he caught his breath, “Fuck you for making me love you as much I do,” He said, tightening the grip on his neck. In the end he growled and released the hold, rolling over to sit up on the edge of the bed. He gazed out at the open balcony that overlooked a sea of desert, the transparent curtains billowing in the wind. It was a stunning night with a sky dotted with stars and a large moon, the cool breeze leaving goosebumps along his skin.

“I can’t make the demands of you that I did once,” He said quietly, his gaze still away from Vossari, “I will understand if you wish to marry and move on. You will become a King of your own right with your aquatic worlds,” He said with a bitter chuckle, “Perhaps we’re meant to love one another from afar as we lead our lives of royalty.”

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

When they were together, it felt like they had never been apart at all. Vossari lost Korriban, lost Wrea, lost Azar's wives, lost his anxieties, and found only the man he loved in ecstasy. He lost count of the waning hours of the desert sun, completely lost in Azar. As their sweat intermingled, Vossari nestled his head onto Azar's shoulder, as he felt the pressure of his king's sharp nails pressed against his throat.

He spread into a sly smile as his eyes narrowed on Azar. "I'm always full of surprises, princess." He wrapped himself in a blanket as he rose up, leaning against the edge of the window into the purple evening sky. He looked below and saw the square of Murzana. From a new angle, he witnessed the fiery battle again. Him and Azar's kiss in Azar's uncertainty. Azar saving his life. Azar being declared king, before all the people of Korriban. Voss was at his side, then. The immense feeling of pride he had for his love swelled up again in his chest, and he exhaled it into the night.

"A political marriage with a nice Wrean girl. It sounds so simple when you put it like that." He chuckled. Even if he were attracted to women, enough to suitably sire some prodigy, there was a dullness to that path. "I think I'd sooner just stay under Tempest's heel." His eyes betrayed his sense of daring, always pushing the politically subversive with Azar.

"But what sounds stronger to you? A union between the Grand Fateweaver of Wrea and some random satrap?" His hand returned to Azar's fingers, brushing them gently. "Or a permanent alliance between the Stygian Caldera and the Great Houses of the Seas? One that endures because..." It sounded so sappy to say out loud. But Voss couldn't help it. "Because its leaders care for each other, and share one destiny." The pieces weren't in place, yet. Voss needed to firm his grip on Manaan, Drexel, Dagobah, and every other wet planet he could to really grow this plan. But there was a latent promise in there - a compromise, of sorts. If Azar's marriages need to be political, perhaps that was a road that Vossari would walk. He wouldn't ask it directly, again, for fear of being further hurt.

Instead, he changed the subject. Too many times Voss had acted without consulting Azar, snaked behind him, rather than get his perspective. "You let Master Osso live after his betrayal." His brown eyes looked up softly at Azar. Sure, there were political reasons to keep a Sith Master alive even after a grievous betrayal of trust. "Do you want to talk about it?"

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar stared at Vossari as he explained his thought process, his eyes widening slightly. The Pureblood always thought ten steps ahead. He always knew when or how to predict things. He could always see right through Vossari. And yet this logic - the fact that uniting the aquatic worlds under one Kingdom could make him into the best possible marriage candidate in the galaxy hadn’t even occurred to Azar. The Pureblood stared in stunned silence, just now beginning to realize the long game the Wrean had been playing, the tactical steps he was taking to arrive at an outcome that would see their destinies woven together. It was far more brilliant than perhaps Azar could have designed himself.

The Pureblood gave no direction to Vossari to do it, no campaign that he architected for Vossari to follow like he had for Karys. No, this was all by his merit alone and it left Azar floored. It made him begin to realize that perhaps Vossari was becoming a peer.

Azar closed the distance, shivering slightly from the cold. He slid back into Vossari’s arms, wrapping the blanket around them both. His back was against Vossari’s chest as they both gazed out over Murzana.

“Vossari,” He said quietly, “I never thought you were a plaything,” He admitted at last. Years later.

“It was easier to tell myself that than to accept that I was falling in love with you even from the first moment I met you,” Azar said, “I outranked you, you were insolent, you were difficult, you were directionless…but gods, you were always brilliant. I was always going to fall for you no matter how the dice were rolled.”

Azar closed his eyes and relaxed against Vossari for a moment. When Vossari asked his question, Azar stiffened slightly, his eyes opening again. He almost pulled away, but he remained for now. He didn’t miss the formal way Vossari addressed Trael.

“The betrayal was a personal slight, not one that harmed the Sith Order,” Azar explained, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. He had been dreading going to see Trael. He had to keep a straight face and play the Sith Lord role while trying to pretend his heart wasn’t broken. He had to tell himself the blatant lie that he didn’t love Trael anymore, “Trodai was growing to be a liability. He made a series of foolish choices. If you and Trael had approached me, perhaps I would have been the one to execute him myself. An honorable death nonetheless,” Azar exhaled, “What I did to Trael will be far worse than death,” He explained, “It remains to be seen if he will serve as a Sith Master and take the role seriously or force my hand. He really does seem very partial to prisons..” Azar mused, thoroughly displeased.

He turned to face Vossari, wrapping his arms around his neck, “If you visit him, please leave acridia behind,” Azar suggested. He was impressed Vossari hadn’t tortured Trael relentlessly or attempted an assassination already. He knew his volatile Wrean lover and his unpredictable rage issues well.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari's unpredictable rage issues were precisely why he had raised this. Trael had ruined for Voss the perfect proposal and the perfect storybook wedding. Every part of him wanted to wring the human's neck for his stupidity. But this moment, here, with Azar, was meant to be for the two of them. He tried to keep an even composure and not let his overwhelming hostility compound on this moment. "For you, I will." Voss had considered branding the human with acid to forever mark his failure. This is why it's good to check in in advance, people!

"It's no one's place to judge a member of your court, save you." Vossari said, circling his thoughts to the party that felt so near and yet so far in a distant past. This applied to Trodai, certainly, but also Trael. If he went beside Azar's back to execute Trael simply because he wanted Trael dead, it would just repeat the cycle that led to this bittersweet series of events.

It took Vossari longer to respond to Azar's genuine show of affection. Even now, after everything, a part of him felt...guarded. Afraid. He knew Azar was, too. He knew the courage it must have taken for him to reveal his truths. "Azar...I always knew." Voss remembered that moment well. He had said it, then - he was so much more than just a plaything. But Azar needed time to rationalize this. He needed time to realize what Vossari had seen on Saleucami - an undeniable intellectual, physical, and emotional bond that brought out entirely different sides to the two of them. Every time they were together, they grew as individuals and as people together. They matured together. They came up with ideas together.

"I've never met someone like you. You remember when Param was my 'master?'" Voss chuckled at the thought, remembering well their separation. "I...I don't even know how to describe it. Nobody has a mind like you." It was more than his mind, though. His exceptional cunning played a role, but it was everything. He was magnetic. Creative, charismatic, driven - to rule was always his destiny. But there was more than that. He was a genuine gentleman, when allowed to be; their play-marriage had shown that time and time again. He had a sense of honor towards his subjects and a reverence towards his people's traditions and cultures. He was unapologetically himself, and always willing to make the hard choices. He had a big heart, in spite of it all. This was the crown he had seen.

"And just like I knew then, I know now." He cooed to Azar. "The road ahead isn't clear. But I'm going to walk it with you." There were still dangling threads, of course. Wrinkles. Not everything could be predetermined. Until it became clear, Voss would continue to cherish these moments. Vossari chuckled at the long arc of their journey, winding throughout and across the Sith Order.

"Did your acolyte ever tell you how we failed that mission on Dromuund Kaas?" Vossari shot a cheeky grin to Azar, changing the subject impromptu as he moved away from the stresses of Azar's kingships towards a pleasant reminiscence. "I dropped a building on her." He started to cackle, in that loud, obnoxious laugh that Azar had grown to know. "I really don't know how you keep putting up with me. I'm just happy you do."

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Azar began to actually laugh as Vossari brought back old memories. He had forgotten about the time Param was his master, barely even recalling the time Karys lorded over him. Azar gazed into the Wrean’s eyes, “My love…you have never had a Master,” He whispered, “You are as unruly and indomitable as the waves from whence you came,” Azar said, tracing his fingers along Vossari’s jawline, “You always learned and grew on your own terms. You sought me out because you couldn’t bend me the way you could bend others to spoonfeed you whatever you needed from them,” Azar gave Vossari a knowing smile, “I have never had a Master either..” He admitted out loud for the first time ever to any Sith. A secret he had hoped to take to his grave, but one that was important for Vossaari to understand just how interwoven their threads were.

When Vossari mentioned his acolyte, Azar had to chuckle again, “I have no idea what happened to her after her promotion,” He said with a sigh, “But darling, you will have to make some friends if you want to become a ruler,” Azar said with a tired smile, “Or pretend anyway,” He had never met anyone else as cantankerous as Vossari. The Wrean had the bearing of a sea urchin with everyone around him, always prickly to touch, “You shouldn’t place all your faith in just me,” Azar cautioned him before leaning up for a kiss, “You will find a lot more people are willing to put up with you if you just let them.”

He sighed in contentment as he nuzzled against Vossari, “I have a few hours with you. We can go anywhere in the galaxy I have visited before. Where should we go?”

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Vossari was as unruly and untamed as the seas, it was true. The only one who knew how to deal with him was Azar. And, even then, it was only because Azar understood him. Related to him. He was rumored to have been an unruly champion and acolyte - the words that he shared only underlined that. "Two masterless rebels." One was now a king. "Is that true, though? Did you never have a champion or master assigned to you?"

Azar asked an impossible question. They could go anywhere Azar had been in his entire life? They could revisit old memories, but Saleucami’s dirty swamps and Tund’s evil magic zombies didn’t sound particularly charming. It might be fun to go somewhere new…just where had Azar been?

“Your early time as a Sith. I don’t think you’ve ever told me about it.” Vossari’s first mission was, of course, with Azar’s ass. But Voss didn’t know everything about Azar’s life before they met. “You know what? Your first mission…that's what I'm really curious about.” He clapped his hands together decisively. “Wherever that was, that’s where I want to go.” He paused to think about this. "Unless it's...like...in the vacuum of space."

"Ooh, and especially if it has ice cream." He had the weirdest craving for some sea salt ice cream. Surely, nothing out here could be as good as Wrea's frozen delicacies, but he hoped they had something!

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

"Never," Azar confirmed at his question about a Master.

Azar smirked and rolled his eyes at Vossari's request, “I’ve been a Sith my whole life, you ignorant crab,” He said as he shoved Vossari, “But for my first Sith Order mission..” He trailed off, “All right, grab some warm clothes,” He gestured towards the wardrobes meant for guests with emergency clothing in case anyone came unprepared. Azar took a moment to rinse off in a nearby shower with Vossari before getting dressed.

After focusing the Force and channeling the way he learned to mist-weave, a portal was constructed. Even now Vossari would be able to peek into the oval and see another planet, “Step through,” Azar instructed, letting the Wrean climb in first before he did.

The air was chilly and they were standing amidst a field of snow. Azar had dressed in layers, but Korriban didn’t exactly have winterwear. He hugged himself, his breath coming out in foggy wisps, “Welcome to the planet Zoph,” Azar announced, “I came here as an acolyte to collect kyber crystals. This place has tons of them but was forgotten in place of Ilum,” His gaze panned over the landscape, taking in the tundra and the countless caves that housed fields of crystals.

He had only been a teen when he stood here last with another hot-headed acolyte. Azar had to smile to himself, remembering how he posed as a warrior that never said a word. Back when he actually used his lanvarok and applied survival skills such as tracking and setting up camp. He could only imagine Trael’s reaction if he ever knew that Azar back then. A pang surged through his chest at the thought, the smile fading.

As Vossari looked around him, he would feel a wet thwack against the back of his head. If he looked, he would see an amused Azar that had packed a ball of snow to throw at Vossari. If they were going to visit a memory, Azar wanted to forget about being King for a moment.

@Fine Dining Set

 

[Vossari Khaldun]

Ignorant crab?? Voss was shocked, gasping as he covered his mouth. "How dare you." He touched a finger to his chin. "I'm a very brilliant, charming, artistic crab." He said, having produced no art in the last three years. "Yes, in your time in the Order." There were always pureblood in the academy during Vossari's tenure there, but the finer details of the history of the Sith Order and its presence on Korriban eluded him. He would remain an ignorant crab on the issue.

Of course Azar's wardrobe had 'emergency clothing.' "This is why I love you." He said, as he wrapped himself in thick scarves and sweaters. He slipped on some mittens before grabbing Azar's hand and jumping through the portal. When they landed in a genuinely snowy realm, Voss's first instinct waste shiver. All over. It was cold. "Actually maybe we should just go to the beach - HEY!" He turned around as a snowball struck him on the back.

This was Voss's time to shine. He spun a length of water into a makeshift sling, and loaded a snowball into it to launch at Azar. Aiming lackadaisically, he instead struck a nearby tree branch, shaking snow out of the branches on to their head. The snow drizzled down in crystalized flakes, gently coating Voss's long braids in a sheet of white.

A rosy grin flew to his face, as he chuckled. "I'm gonna need a hot coco after this." The pair of them overlooked a hill, covered in fluffy, white snow. His smile turned sly. "You ever snowboard before, Azar?" Voss grabbed some water, creating a long, sleek block of ice. "Do you want to?" Voss stepped his boots onto the ice, taking a long, lean stance as he surveilled the hill beneath them.

@Sreeya

 

[Darth Arcanos]

Vossari was perhaps one of the very few people in the galaxy that could out-princess Azar. They had arrived for less than five seconds and the man was already complaining about not being at the beach. Azar had bigger concerns - they didn’t bring any snow shoes (@Javier esschoolbus ). He had an entire collection of them (for some reason) on his ship and not a single pair was here now that they were on snowy terrain.

When Vossari built the makeshift sling, Azar fully prepared for the incoming missile. However, the Wrean tricked him by shooting a tree instead. The aim was so terrible that Azar assumed it was an elaborate feint. The Pureblood shrieked like a girl when snow unexpectedly dumped on his head, “VOSS!” He complained, “I didn’t want my hair wet!” Azar complained with a pout. Before he could continue their game, Vossari created an ice board. The Pureblood stared at it apprehensively before finding his balance on his ‘board’.

He glanced down over the snowy hill, thinking back to his early days on Korriban. A faint smile appeared on his face. A flood of memories came right back to him, memories he hadn’t lingered on for so long that he thought them lost. Azar spun around to flash Vossari a grin, blowing him a kiss before sliding backwards and down the hill. (dice: 17/20)

Within moments he spun around, expertly navigating the hill. He applied the Force, using the terrain to his advantage to make new snowy hills thrust up from the ground with a complex use of both cryo and terrakinesis. Azar swept up his manufactured hill, flipping in the air before zooming down towards a cave at the bottom of the snowy path.

The entire time, Azar was laughing his head off or letting out exhilarated ‘wooo’s as a display of genuine, carefree delight. He couldn’t remember the last time he simply let go like this without a single thought to his duties.

Once they reached the bottom of the hill, Azar skidded to a halt, melting away the board. He smiled at Vossari, genuine happiness briefly crossing his features.

“My sister and I used to go sandboarding all the time when we were children,” Azar explained to Vossari, who no doubt would be shocked at the sudden display of skill, “We would have makeshift boards and slide down dunes and do all sorts of tricks. She was always significantly better than me,” Azar said with a sheepish grin. His smile faded after a moment, thinking back to family. Outside of Nana Kressh, he had no direct family alive anymore. The weight of starting all over again began to creep up on him, but he pushed the thought aside for now.

The thought of family in general lingered on his mind as he gazed at Vossari, “He truly loves you, you know,” Azar said quietly, “Your father,” He added, “A bit misguided here and there, but then again so were you, my grumpy crab,” He said with a teasing smile as he kissed Vossari on the tip of his rapidly reddening nose.

Azar stepped into the cave that had the crystals in them, taking a moment to stare at the vibrant colors that felt ethereal, “They say you can imbue a crystal with your presence and energy even without binding it to a lightsaber..” He mused aloud as he walked further in.

@Fine Dining Set